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“Okay. When you’re ready to tell me you’ve got feelings for this guy, feel free. I’m all ears.” She stood and put her empty orange juice glass in the sink.
I stared at her.
“Don’t look so surprised. I notice a lot of things now. For example, how youdon’trun down the stairs when Adam calls these days. Or how you’ve barely talked about your upcoming trip to see him next weekend. Which has led me to wonder ifthathas anything to do with all those pictures you’ve got on your pinboard. Especially the ones of a handsome fellow with dark blond hair and brown eyes.”
“Are you snooping in my room?”
She shrugged. “I also noticed how eager you are to make this Daniel happy. If he’d asked you to jump off a bridge, you’d have said, ‘Which one?’”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head, refusing to speak. The Moon Pie went sickly sweet on my tongue.
“Or maybe—justmaybe, mind you—I noticed you were sporting some beard burn and hickeys not very long ago.”
I didn’t stick around to hear more, turning on my heel and taking my milk and pie up to my room. Her laughter trailed behind me. It was clear what had to happen now.
I needed to move out.
My mom was paying too much attention to me, and itsucked.
***
Bobby slurped hispotato and cheese soup slowly, his gaze fixed to the television screen. It wasn’tDays of Our Lives, but some other soap opera, and he was plugged in with an unshakable interest.
I took the time to thoroughly clean his kitchen and bathroom and get his sheets into the washing machine. Then I put Milky Way on a leash to take her for a walk.
The day was beautiful, and I’d brought my camera, but it turned out to be impossible to get pictures with Milky Way pulling this way and that. She almost tugged me off my feet just so she could sniff at a bush, then a mailbox post, and then a shed. She spent a good four minutes inspecting every inch of the telephone pole on the corner, even standing on her hind legs to reach scents higher up. I let her take her time. I figured she didn’t get out of the house much.
My parents had been surprisingly supportive of my choice to work with ARK. At first, they’d fretted about contact with bodily fluids, but I assured them that there was a protocol for all of that, and I had no intention of violating it. After they read through the brochures I’d brought home, they’d both agreed they couldn’t fault me for wanting to help. Mom had insisted that there’d be no better object lesson in using condoms. Dad had agreed she was right.
The neighborhood around Bobby’s house was nice. I made note of things to get pictures of when I wasn’t walking the dog. So far, I liked feeling useful. Knowing I was helping Daniel added an extra layer of meaning to my work.
When Milky Way and I got back to the house, Bobby’s soap opera was over. He aimed the remote at the TV to snap it off.
“Okay, out with it.” He motioned at the sofa across from his La-Z-Boy. “Tell me what’s going on with Daniel.”
I didn’t think Daniel would want me spilling the beans about his mom. That seemed private, something Bobby should only know about if Daniel told him personally. I tried to stall. “I’ll cut up the veggies for you, and maybe cook some pasta for the—”
“No, you’re going to have a seat and tell me what the hell’s going on. I couldn’t get anything out of him.”
I hesitated, turning slightly toward the kitchen. “I should make that pasta.”
“Don’t make an old man beg.”
“You’re not old.”
“Dying, then. A dying man shouldn’t have to beg.”
He had me there. I sighed and reluctantly perched on the sofa. “You’re not dying either.”
“Not today, hopefully.”
I raked my hands through my hair. “So, why do you think I’m here?”
“Daniel’s mom is drinking again, and he’s had to drop his life to go take care of his brother and sister.”
“Oh. You already know what’s going on.” I started to stand.
Bobby smiled, his gray eyes dancing in his sunken face. “Nice try, kid, but I mean what’s going on with the two of you.”
